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All Bolivia Sur Lípez Salvador Dalí Desert

Salvador Dalí Desert

A desert that evokes the surreal.

Sur Lípez, Bolivia

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Salvador Dalí Desert.   Albert Backer/CC BY-SA 3.0
El Árbol de Piedra.   tyler / Atlas Obscura User
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Rock formations in the Desierto de Dalí.   Jen Morgan/CC BY-ND 2.0
Salvador Dalí Desert in Bolivia.   Belinda Grasnick/CC BY-ND 2.0
Desierto de Dalí.   Diego Delso/CC BY-SA 4.0
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About

In Bolivia's Reserva Nacional de Fauna Andina Eduardo Abaroa, there is a surreal, barren, wind-swept swath of land that has been frequently compared to a Dalí painting.

Salvador Dalí was a Spanish painter best known for dreamy, sometimes eerie, nonsensical images against a minimalistic backdrop, the most well-known examples of which include The Persistence of Memory and The Elephants. 

Though Dalí never painted this particular Bolivian reserve, the arid, stark desert horizon coupled with strange rock formations strikes a strong resemblance to the famous surrealist's work.

The Árbol de Piedra, or Stone Tree, could be one of Dalí's disturbing subjects. The base of the rock has been weathered away by wind and time, while the top remained intact. The seemingly impossible structure stands 23 feet tall and casts its shadow even longer across the flat sandy Desierto de Siloli.

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Deserts Art Rocks Rock Formations Geology Geological Oddities Salvador Dali

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There are unpaved dirt roads and tracks within the preserve; best to get a guide and driver.

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Published

October 31, 2016

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  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eduardo_Avaroa_Andean_Fauna_National_Reserve
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%81rbol_de_Piedra
Salvador Dalí Desert
Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve of Andean Fauna
Sur Lípez
Bolivia
-22.608611, -67.687222
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